He sat motionless while the gray-haired man towered above his table. His nerves recklessly spazzed, and his heart thrashed. "H-H-h..." he faltered as the man leaned down towards him. The man quickly rose up and walked towards the counter. The boy froze as if he were bound to his seat. He wanted to leave, but his body was incapable of movement. He sat there, staring at the cardboard box, still feeling the impact of the man's deep stare. He could hear the two mumbling from the counter. He regained control of his hands as he trembled to pick up another slice. Little by little, he nibbled through most of the pizza, keeping an eye on the person just out of view.
Their talk concluded as the man walked back over to the boy. The menacing aura pooling from the man reeked, and his amber eyes pierced through the boy's body. He sat down in front of him as the box's top seemingly fell down by itself. "Hello there." the man repeated from the previous conversation. The boy, still frozen in his spot, began to shake uncontrollably. His body vibrated, and his chair rattled. The man whispered something to himself that the boy couldn't hear. He laid his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together. "Could you tell me more about yourself?" he asked. Like clockwork, his command allowed the boy to be able to move his mouth. "H-hello... my name... is... is..." he trembled in fear. The man's gaze pierced through the boy as he sat there motionless. The man's eyes shifted, looking directly into the boy's. "They tell of despair and destruction..." he whispered while looking into the boy's hazel-brown eyes. "Well, sorry to intrude on your... lunch; I'll be on my way then." he said as he removed himself from the table.
The boy finished eating his food as he cleaned up in the bathroom. He washed his hands and threw water on his face. He dried off and left the bathroom. The door chimed as he left the store. Leaning on the patio was the old man who had been trailing him. "How long has he just been right here?" he wondered as he silently walked past. In succession, the man trailed behind him in the same direction. "Y'know, if you want to kidnap me, just do it now." the boy muttered under his breath. "My bad boy." the man responded. "I just happen to be going in the same direction. Nothing wrong with that, no?" he said. The boy gave him a blank stare. He was more than skeptical. "Well, if he wants to trail me, then let's go the long way." he thought as the two walked back the way they came.
They returned to the area that was once clouded by a heavy layer of fog. "If I may intrude, what's your name?" the old man asked, trying to create small talk. "Oh, um... it's Dawpers." the boy said. "Dawpers? That's nothing I've ever heard before! You're not lying to me now, are you, boy?" the old man questioned him. "Whether or not you believe me, I go by Dawpers. Nothing more, nothing less." the boy said. "Dawpers, huh? I want to see how far your journey will go." the old man whispered to himself. "Alright then, I'm Silas. It's a pleasure to travel alongside you." the old man said.
The wind blew around Dawpers, blowing past his hair and face. "It's odd... I know you're hiding something but I don't know what. That aura around you, alongside the wind blowing intensely whenever you're around. What... are you Silas?" he asked. The old man stopped in his tracks. "You... you could feel that hell, you could notice all that?" They stood in silence for a while as Dawpers patiently waited for a response. "Pffft! What'd you think I am? Some kind of wizard? A sorcerer maybe? If I really was, I wouldn't need to walk around with this wretched cane because of my grandson!" he laughed it off as he nearly tumbled to the ground. "Well, don't overdo it on the acting gramps, you might actually just kill yourself." Dawpers said, helping him back up.
They walked back to the intersection, and going right led them to a newly renovated bridge surrounded by a thicket of trees. "You're sure that bridge is done?" Dawpers asked Silas. "I walked down it to pick up my grandson today; it's definitely safe and working." the old man responded. Dawpers sighed as they walked on the sidewalk to the forest. The wind followed them, hopping from tree to tree. The leaves whistled as they walked over branches and rocks. Twigs snapped, and the lights dimmed. Leaves fell, as Dawpers caught one of them. He held his hand out as the leaf flew back into the air. "It's always nice walking through here. It's peaceful." he thought to himself as they made it through the thicket of trees.
The two men had reached the bridge. It was a tall yellow bridge that stood out like a sore thumb. Below it was a giant lake that the kids played in during the summer. The pillar extending from the water looked to be crumbling under its own weight. The boy laughed to himself while looking down at the water below. "Are you sure?" he demanded. "I'm telling you, we will be fine, boy. I mean, just look how stable it is." the old man replied. "And you're senile." Dawpers thought. The two walked towards the bridge. As Dawpers took the first step, a loud creak roared from the depths. "No, no, no, no, no." Dawpers said while backing up. "Boy, if you don't get over here." the old man quietly yelled. "Don't know why I'm doing this for him, I should leave him for dead. I've got to make it to him before it's too late." the old man muttered under his breath. Dawpers sighed with a deep breath, continuing ahead.
It almost seemed like the bridge was toying with them, as every step added a louder squeak or another creak. He began to feel the soreness from slowing his movements as he tried not to groan. He felt as if he was walking on thin ice. "One wrong step; it might be us stepping too hard, or maybe we step in the wrong place, hell, it could be anything. All it takes is one bad movement from us, and we go tumbling down with this bridge." he reassured himself. The old man gave a stern look, as Dawpers could feel his aura flowing out again. "What's his deal? He's the one who said we'd be fine!" he thought. The air became light, and so did his feet. That's when Dawpers noticed he was no longer on solid ground.
The boy swung his head back and forth. "God, what do I do?" his thoughts raced as he plummeted to the body of water. "You!" shouted the old man from above. As the boy thought about what or who he was talking about, a cloak flew from above. The old man's aura blanketed the boy, slowing his fall. Similarly, the old man hovered in the air. Dawpers was astonished by what he saw. "This isn't real... I mean, you can't fly in real life! Lights? Cameras? Anything?" Dawpers thought as he tried to fathom the situation.
But he couldn't... There was no making sense of anything. Everything that happened today was done in reality. The fog, the wind, the store, and the old man, Silas. There was more to the world than he thought. The old man pointed down towards the sand, yelling. "What's he yell-" Dawpers thought as a radiance of purple light flew past him. His eyes widened, and his cheek felt warm. He went to touch it as he felt some liquid flowing. He then felt a slit. "Mmph!" he muffled, biting on his hoodie, trying not to yell. Looking in the direction where the arrow came from, he could see some specks of color. "Just what is that exactly?" he asked himself. The old man flew across the sky, charging a golden light into his palm. The further he got, the less grip he had on Dawpers, as the boy began to slowly drift into the water. He threw the aura like a ball towards the specks of color. A giant cloud of smoke was created as he rushed back to the boy. "Really, right here of all places..." he grumbled as he glided in the air.
He threw his hand towards the boy to grab him. Dawpers simultaneously reached for his hand out of safety. As Dawpers began to close his hand to grab his, the old man's hand went limp. The man's eyes sank, and his back made a horrifying squelch. Blood flew into Dawpers' face as his face grew with terror. Stuck in the old man was a hole created by a familiar purple light. The object pierced through, cutting Dawpers' right leg in the process. The two were too stunned to speak. The old man's aura began to fade as the two plunged to the ground. "I'm sorry... I should've been... more careful." the old man said. Dawpers looked to him in confusion. "Your eyes are truly beautiful. You must live on, for those you hold dear." the old man continued. He created another ball of light in his hand. He thrusted his hand into the boy's chest, throwing him towards the bridge's middle support. "Ahh, the youth. Who knows what's truly destined for him?" he said smiling.
The boy spun through the air towards the bridge support. "That idiot! I don't care if he can float or if he's Superman!" Dawpers yelled. He placed his feet on the pillar as cracks formed throughout. He jumped off the support, fully shattering it. Flying towards the old man, he reached his hand towards him. "That idiot!" the old man shouted. He threw the boy into unconsciousness by hitting him in the head. "I leave the world to you, Guardian." he said as he threw another ball of light towards him, healing his wounds. The boy's body plummeted to the water as the old man stared at his foe. "This kid will live and inherit what we started. He will overpower us all." he chuckled to himself. Another purple light approached the man, ending his life. Dawpers' body fell into the water as the thing left the area.
